Abstract

Children's theater in Greece had no advocacy for a long time and was neglected. Playwrights believed that children's theater did not challenge their skills, actors felt that it did not engage their talents, critics thought that it offered boring or socially naïve entertainment, while the state government was indifferent to its needs. Several Greek playwrights and actors, however, who were influenced by some successful West European explorations into children's theater, contributed to the revitalization of children's theater in Greece. They steered away from naïvete and didacticism and aimed at bridging the world of technology with the world of fantasy. Didacticism did not disappear altogether, but now co-existed with poetry and imagination, stimulating the thought and sensibilities of young audiences. At the same time, children's theater marginalized the presumed seriousness of the adults who escorted the children to the theater.

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